Spud valve



March 18, 1952 J. D. LANGDON SPUD VALVE Filed March 4, 1947 Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,589,265 SPUD VALVE Jesse D. Langdon, Long Beach, Calif.

Application March 4, 1947, Serial No. 732,253

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to plumbing fixtures and is particularly related to spud valves for controlling the flow of water from a flushing tank ordinarily attached to the bowl of a water closet or defecation fixture.

The chief purpose of this invention is to provide a valved outlet assembly, including a new combination contributing to the closure of the outlet to a flush tank. One object is to provide a guide for the stem of a spud valve which will hold the valve in a fixed centralized position with relation to the passageway thru a spud.

Another object is to provide a valve member for combination with a spud, the valve member being provided with multiple float chambers whereby additional buoyancy is obtained for said valve member.

A further object is to vent a chambered portion of the spud valve member so as to change the buoyancy of a chambered portion thereof, and contribute to the refill oi the bowl.

A still further object is to utilize the turbulence of water passing from a flush tank thru a spud to aid in the closing of a valve member provided with an unstable air cushion chamber.

Other and further objects and advantages of the inventions will appear as the specification proceeds.

The reduction to practice illustrated by the drawings is strictly for the purpose of illustration only and may be changed within the scope of the claims.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1, is a sectional view showing the inside of a flush tank illustrating the relative arrangement of operating parts.

Fig. 2, is a sectional view of a spud valve member molded from a single piece of rubber.

Fi 3, is a sectional view of an alternative form of valve member.

Fig. 4, is a broadside elevation of the spud assembly, including the valve, valve guide and seat.

The invention comprises a one piece hollow chambered valve member, as of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 2 suggests a float member molded from a single pieceof rubber and formed with a central chamber having a supplementary chamber therearound surrounded by a skirt IA as of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an alternative form of float I which includes a central chambered rubber member with another chamber surrounding the first named chamberand being formed by a semi-spherical shell of metal encompassing the same.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the float valve member I and skirt IA as being molded entirely of rubber. Using this reduction to practice it is self-evident that in closed position, the wall of the inner chamber, as at I, contacts the inside of rim 4S and that the lower confines of the surrounding wall of skirt IA will be urged toward the upper outer edge of rim is when a head of liquid rises in the tank of Fig. 1. The head of liquid in the tank of Fig. 1 will compress, urge and collapse rubber skirt IA inwardly and ultimately seat the same against the upper outer rim of spud at 4S. This construction permits a double seating to take place, both against the inside and outside of the upper end 48 of spud outlet 4.

The reduction to practice as of Fig. 3 shows a rigid metal bell IB substituted for the skirt IA forming the outer wall of chamber C surrounding rubber wall of inner chamber as at I. The wall of the inner chamber being made of deformable material, is compressed when a head of liquid exists in the tank of Fig. l and the bell IB is urged downwardly to ultimately contact the surface immediately below the rim 48.

The entire assembly comprising the invention as illustrated by Fig. 4 consists of a hollow valve member with multiple chambers which may or may not be perforated to provide a bleeder hole IV as of Fig. 3, the tubular outlet portion 4 provided with a valve seat 48 at the upper end, a frame 3 being extended from the spud 4 and formed by uprights supporting a transverse portion extended across the valve seat 4S and spaced above the spud 4, the transverse portion of the frame being bored to form a guide for the stem 2 in axial alignment with the seat 4S, the stem 2 being attached to the valve disposed in the space between the transverse portion of the frame 3 and the seat 4S, thus providing a rigid and absolutely centralized spud valve assembly.

When the device is operated in connection with a flush tank as of Fig. 1, the tank being full of water with the ball cock B closed by the water level in the tank acting against the float F and closing the valve B via float rod FR. The valve member I is held in closed position by the body of Water in the tank above the spud 4. When the valve I is raised from the seat 48 via the use of the stem 2 guided by frame 3, the water in the tank is evacuated thru the spud 4, the valve I being bouyant rises toward the surface of the water. As the water level in the tank falls below the transverse portion of the frame 3, the valve I drops toward the seat 48. Due to the fact that the valve I is a buoyant member provided with concentrically arranged chambers, the outer chamber C forms an unstable air cushion effected by the turbulence of the water passing from the tank, the cushion acting to bounce the member about and move and vibrate the stem 2 in its guiding bore thru the transverse member of frame 3, thus freeing the stem 2 by agitation to minimize any tendency to stick in the guide and hold the valve open.

Futhermore the enhanced buoyancy of the valve member 1, due to the extra chambered portion C, retards the final seating of the valve, thus permitting a prolonged after-flow from the ball cock B to bypass the valve 1 into the bowl after the contents of the bowl have been siphoned from the bowl, the after-flow being too slight to continue the siphon effect, yet enough water passes into the bowl and siphon passage so that both are refilled to the proper level without the need of a refill tube which is ordinarily extended from the ballcoek B to the overflow tube which furnishes '"theusual means of passing water thru the spud B into the bowl to which the tank may be attached.

It is evident that the perforation IV communieating with chamber "C thru the skirt or auxiliary shell [R will change the effective degree of buoyancy contributed by the chamber C and therefore influence the closing movement of the valve l.

The frame 3 contributes to the turbulence of water passing from the tank and therefore enhances the movement of the valve I. The frame 3 also acts as guide to limit the lateral movement of the valve I.

It will be observed that the skirt |A as of Fig. 2 may be extended downwardly, or the seat As may be extended to permit the 'skirt IA to act as an auxiliary seating portion providing a double seating means for the valve l.-

I-Iaving described the invention and the new and novel features thereof, the following claims are made:

1. A spud valve comprising a central air chamber encompassed by material impervious to moisture forming the wall thereof, a portion of said wall adapted to seat against an outlet opening and drain of a reservoir, a secondary air chamber surrounding the outer wall of the first-named chamber, the second chamber being encompassed by a second wall of suitable material, the second air chamber having an open end at the bottom thereof and circumscribing the outer wall of the first-named chamber, the open'end of the second chamber being subjected to the'action of turbulent liquid when the valve is lifted from the seat,

whereby air in the second chamber is partially evacuated therefrom by the turbulence of flowing liquid during the evacuation of liquid from said reservoir which said spud valve is adapted to seal, the second chamber serving to momentarily hold the valve away from its seat just previous to the final seating of the valve whereby a residuary flow of liquid from the reservoir is permitted.

2. A device as defined by claim 1 wherein the secondary chamber is vented to atmosphere to hasten the evacuation of air from said chamber.

3. A spud valve having a stem extended upwardly therefrom and comprising multiple eoncentric air chambers formed by central chamber means surrounded by annular chamber means open at the bottom, the wall of the central chambered means forming a valve seating surface adapted to close a passageway through a tubular spud drain opening from a reservoir, the annular chambered means of the valve having the open bottom end surrounding the central chambered means and adapted to form an air receiving chamber to contain air providing an unstable air-cushion against a body of turbulent liquid, the air cushion being evacuated from said annular chamber means decreasing the buoyancy of said valve member during the closing movement and whereby the valve member will be bounced upon said air cushion and moved about and vibrated to prevent sticking of the stem extended from the top of said valve member through a bore in a guide standing in the same axial alignment as said stem and drain, thereby permitting the flow of water from said reservoir to pull said spud valve to its seat and whereby the movement set up by the unstable air-cushion formed by the annular chamber means will serve to shake said stem loose from said bore.

l. A spud valve having a stem adapted to extend upwardly through a, bore in a guide in substantially axial alignment with a seat formed by the upper end of a spud opening forming the outlet drain of a reservoir for liquid, the valve comprising at least two chambers formed by inner and outer hollow bodies secured to and depending from the lower end of said stem, both hollow bodies extending clear across and at least one of them seating against and closing said drain, the outer hollow body lying substantially concentric to the contour of the inner hollow body and having an open lower end surrounding the inner hollow body and forming an air receiving chamber.

5. A spud valve as of claim 4 wherein at least one chamber is vented at the top to permit the passage of air.

6. A valve in combination with the outlet of a tank and comprising a multiple chambered member having at least two chambers with walls having substantially concomitant contours, one chamber at least partly surrounding the wall of an inner chamber the outer confines of both chambers being of greater diameter than the tank outlet opening, at least a portion of one chamber being annularly disposed with respect to the other chamber, the lower end of at least one chamber being open to atmosphere, the wall of at least one chamber seating against the tank outlet to close same, the outer chamber capable of containing air subject to at least partial displacement by a body of liquid within the tank.

'7. A device as defined by claim 6 wherein the outer chamber is vented to atmosphere.

8. A device as of claim 6 wherein the outer chamber is circumscribed by a wall of rigid material.

9. A device as of claim 6 wherein the walls of both chambers are formed of deformable material capable of returning to form.

JESSE D. LANGDON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 379,159 Harkins Mar. 6, 1888 574,367 Madden Dec. 29, 1896 1,282,499 Teschan Oct. 22, '1918 1,440,469 Keller Jan. 2, 1923 2,014,600 Wayne Sept. 17, 1935 2,158,452 Winship May 1 6, 1939 

